Aftermath

16~Sherlock's POV

"Wake up, Sherlock. Wake up, for me."

These words are my driving fire.

Oh, and the fact that John just told my brother I'm gay and the only thing I could do about it was move my thumb. 

I hear Mycroft scoff at something he said that he thought was funny.

It probably wasn't.

I decide to move onto bigger things. First, my thumb. Now? My hand. Not moving, but squeezing. I need more of John's words. They seem to give me more energy, energy I need to wake up. I focus on squeezing my fingers, closing them around John's, when Mycroft's phone rings.

"Excuse me," He says. I hear his footsteps walk out of the room.

"Sherlock? I think you can hear me. I hope you can. You're squeezing my hand. And frankly, kind of hard." It takes effort, but I loosen my grip, just a little. "So you can hear me. Sherlock, wake up. Please, wake up. Please. I lived without you for three years, don't make me live alone for another minute. Please."

These words, the words of a begging best friend, I have heard similar before. 

But this time I can fix it. 

"John?" I try. But due to the tube in my throat, it comes out more like a groan. 

"Sherlock?Sherlock!" I open my eyes - slowly, so slowly - and see John. When I see him, I forget I'm mad at him. I just want to tell him I love him. 

I reach for the tubes coming out of my mouth, making a move to remove them. John's face is inches from mine, and oh, how I want to kiss him. There's so many tubes in the way. I continue to pull at the tubes - despite the pain it causes- and John grabs my hand. "William Scott Sherlock Holmes, leave those tubes alone, or so help me I will make you wear one of my jumpers." I quit struggling and attempt smile, although I don't think John can tell. John walks away, and I'm left with the feeling of loss again, until I realize he is speaking into a speaker just a few feet away. "Can someone come take the tube out of my..." he takes a deep breath. "Can someone please come take the tube out of my boyfriend's throat?" While the nurse says something about a coma, all I can think is:

John called me his boyfriend!

I reach for the tubes again. I need to tell John how happy I am, being his boyfriend and all. John leans over me and whispers, "Jumper,"  before three people walk in.

One is Dr.McGhee, one is a resident I don't recognize, and the other one is...

I begin struggling... No! They have to keep me away from her! She caused this! Caused John pain! I want her dead, want her head on a silver platter to give to John. She took me away from him. She must pay.

"Sherlock! Sherlock, look at me!" I look towards John, who is still holding my hand. "If you don't stop struggling, they can't take out the tube." I stop struggling and go limp, save for my left hand, which stays firmly around John's.

Dr.McGhee leans down to my face. "Sherlock?" His breath smells like coffee... "I'm going to take the tube out. Since this tube has been up and down your throat a lot recently, this will hurt. Worse than any other time." He turns to look at John. "You might want to leave. This won't be fun to watch." I grip John's hand tighter refusing to let him leave. He shakes head, and Dr. McGhee nods. "Alright then." He seems to take his sweet time making sure his resident disconnected everything properly. "Okay, Sherlock. Are you ready?" I nod, then look straight up, giving him full access to my mouth and throat. He grabs on tube, and it doesn't hurt. There's just the sound of plastic on plastic as he pulls a smaller tube out of a larger tube. "This is when it gets scary," I hear Dr.McGhee say, to no one in particular. 

He gets a grip on the last tube, and I scream. God, I thought I was dying earlier. Stop, dear God man... I continue to scream, and then reach up and try to get his hands away - he's going slow, to slow, he needs to stop or hurry or something - when John leans over my face.

"Focus on me, Sherlock. Don't think about anything but me." I'm still screaming, but I'm looking at John, and oh...God...please end this...kill me... No. I have John. But, oh it hurts and then- "It's all out Sherlock, it's all gone." I notice John is holding me, letting me continue to scream into his shirt. "Shh, Sherlock. It's okay. If you stop screaming you might feel just a little bit better." I stop screaming, and the only sounds left are of my ragged breathing at the heart rate monitor. 

It is in this moment, this almost perfect moment, I remember the nurse in the green scrubs.

"Her," I croak.

"What?" John leans his ear down close to my mouth. 

I resist the urge to kiss him and say, "She's the nurse...from..from earlier." I sigh and lay down. John looks up.

"Out!" He barks. The three of them - Dr. McGhee, the resident and the nurse from hell - all look up from what they were doing.

Dr. McGhee looks at him, confused. "What?"

"That nurse is the one responsible for all of this!" He's using his captain voice, and God is it sexy.

Dr.McGhee looks at the nurse, then grabs her arm and drags her out, the resident trailing behind, confused.

I pull John's head close my lips again and whisper, "I love your captain voice." He stands, and I see a blush creeping up his neck. "Oi!" I exclaim, then wince as my throat is still killing me. "You told Mycroft," I croak. 

He looks down ashamed. "Yes, I did."

"It's okay," I breath.

John finally looks at me.

"Really?"

I nod, and he kisses me. Gently, as if he's afraid to break me. At this point, I can see why.